“The Christmas Message” Part 2 John 1:17-18

‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. For the land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants. But as for you, you are to keep My

statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you (for the men of the land who have been before you have done all these abominations, and the land has become defiled); so that the land will not spew you out,

should you defile it, as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you. Leviticus 18:24-28

“Do not say in your heart when the L ORD your God has driven them out before you, ‘Because of my righteousness the L ORD has brought me in to possess this land,’ but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the L ORD is dispossessing them before you. It is not for your

righteousness or for the uprightness of your heart that you are going to possess their land, but it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the L ORD your God is driving them out before you, in order to confirm the oath which the L ORD swore to

your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deuteronomy 9:4-5

Moreover, Manasseh shed very much innocent blood until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; besides his sin with which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the L ORD. 2 Kings 21:16

Surely at the command of the L ORD it came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the L ORD would not forgive. 2 Kings 24:3-4

What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “Y OU SHALL NOT COVET.” Romans 7:7

“You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the L ORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the

fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. Exodus 20:3-6

And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the L ORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. Deuteronomy 4:19

There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever

does these things is detestable to the L ORD ; and because of these detestable things the L ORD your God will drive them out before you. Deuteronomy 18:10-12

‘As for the person who turns to mediums and to spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will also set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. Leviticus 20:6

“When the L ORD your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, beware that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How do these

nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’ You shall not behave thus toward the L ORD your God, for every abominable act which the L ORD hates they have done for their gods; for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Deuteronomy 12:29-31

But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.

Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. Galatians 3:22-25

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him

through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that

our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Romans 6:1-7

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? Romans 2:4

He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak. I know

that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me.” John 12:48-50

So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” John 8:28-29

I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.” John 8:38

Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. John 14:10